Destinations

[ image by Jim McElholm-Single Source Inc. ]

The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a region to be explored. The Corridor is not a National Park in the traditional sense.

It’s a kind of virtual park – a park where people live, work and play – a living landscape where its long and nationally pivotal history is still visible through thousands of structures in distinctive landscapes and accessible through the living memory of its residents.

In the 18th and 19th century we saw the explosion of American entrepreneurial creativity and confidence. The innovations that sparked America's Industrial Revolution changed forever the landscape of the Blackstone Valley.

Along the waterways that make up the Blackstone Valley, we can still see the outline of the 19th century industrial society in the mill villages, the hilltop farms, rails and canal, the cities and the magnificent mills. And although the countless mills that once shuddered throughout the valley are now mostly quiet, the river still connects all of us from the large cities to the smaller villages to the Narragansett Bay.

To understand the Blackstone Valley you must “read the landscape”. The history of the Valley is revealed through its buildings and landscapes that together tell the story of America’s transition from an agrarian society to one of industry. Throughout the region, one can see and experience how this area developed along the river valley and hilltops.

[ image by Jim McElholm-Single Source Inc. ]

You can begin your exploration of the Corridor by stopping at Visitor Information Centers to get oriented in the Valley, and/or visiting cultural sites, historical sites or places for recreation. Plan a trip or day visit with Accommodations, or take a virtual tour of the Corridor through Valley Sights and the Map of the region.

Welcome to our National Park!